Manhattan, New York City - USA

New York - the city that never sleeps: the Big Apple. The city with many names is a popular travel destination for many people from all around the world. With its over eight million people spread over a relatively small area – New York City is the most densely populated metropolitan area of the United States - there are many things to see and do here. In this article I will try to cover the parts of Manhattan that I visited when I was there the last time.

New York City is located on the south eastern part of the state of New York and stretches out in a peninsula into the East River. It consists of five boroughs which are Manhattan, Queens, The Bronx, Brooklyn and Staten Island. There are three major airports around the city; JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airport. I would recommend people who travel here to flag down a cab from all airports into town except for Newark which is located about forty five minutes away. For those more economically inclined there are of course trains and subways from JFK and LaGuardia as well.

On the southern tip of Manhattan the financial district is located and close by are the remnants of the Twin Towers. The city has arranged a form of memorial here, with pictures from nine eleven showing firemen, police officers and civilians in the moment of the attacks. In other words: a place for thought and prayer. Travel south and you will reach the financial district with some of the city’s most famous landmarks like Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange among others. This place is great in the evening with the architectural buildings beautifully lit up.

Follow the central street of Broadway north and after fifteen minutes or so you will end up outside City Hall. Here the city government along with the governor reside and is definitely worth a look. Most who travel here do not know that New York actually was the capital between seventeen eighty nine and seventeen ninety.

Continue north about ten minutes until you come to the intersection with Canal Street. You are now in street vendor Mecca. I can not recommend buying anything here, but it is fun to just browse around. If you choose travel east here you will end up in Chinatown, a place I will cover in future articles.

On your travel northwards, follow Canal Street west and the north again on Sixth Avenue and you will stumble upon my favourite area of New York City, namely Greenwich Village. Here the lower buildings, cosy restaurants and bars and diversity of stores and hotels make for a grand experience. Take Bleecker Street east and treat yourself to some food. May I recommend Italian and some whine as usual?

Bleecker ends up on Broadway once more so follow it there and make north once again until you arrive in Union Square. This place is noted for its impressive statue of George Washington. If you are lucky you will catch some street performers here playing music or doing rollerblades and the like. A nice travel pit stop for café latte.

This was the first part of the New York article series for people who want to travel here. In the next article I will continue northwards and give you some more tips on bars and shopping.

Rome - Italy

A lot of people from all around the world travel to the old city of Rome every year. The city is always described in many ways, different ways depending on who you are and what your interests happen to be. First and foremost, Rome is a city deeply reminiscent of ancient, elder days of greatness.

Literally everywhere you, go old traces of the ancient civilization are forever present, traces of a long gone kingdom of vast importance and magnitude. It blends in with modern Rome, forming a unique relationship together. Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance and many more styles appear like layers between then and now. A modern apartment house can be attached to a medieval church which is next to a cylinder-shaped antique temple.

A good tip for tourists to start is the Capitolum which is situated on a hill. The Capitolum was the equivalence of ancient Athens’s Acropolis. People used to come here to pray the Gods in the Temple of Jupiter. Today, the Capitolum is dominated by Michelangelo’s city plan from the 16^th century. Proceed down the steps to an area of broken and worn down pillars and mounds of stone. This was the ancient downtown - Forum Romanum - the prototype for a modern city.

Bordering Forum Romanum is perhaps Rome’s most famous figure of architecture, the Colosseum. This was the home of the gladiator-games and stood ready on 80 BC. Not only an architectural masterpiece, but also a well built arena that housed over 55 000 people, three time more than hockey night in Madison Square garden. Take a walk on both levels and admire the view in the summertime, side by side with many other tourists who have decided to travel to Rome.

Just a stone thrown The Ancient temple of Pantheon (meaning Temple of all the Gods), which later became a church, is always a beautiful sight as the sun goes sets over it in the afternoon. It is still used and is one of the best preserved of all the old Roman buildings, and perhaps the best preserved building of its age in the world. The perfectly round hole in the centre of the temple’s ceiling is designed so that it never rains inside, quite an achievement being it was finished in 125 AD.

Further along the way, The Baths of Caracalla is very intriguing. They were Roman public baths, called thermae, the ruins of which have become a popular tourist attraction.

Rome also has many lovely squares and other art treasures from different ages. Piazza Navone is an elongated square which gets very busy at night. The edges of the square are full of restaurants in different price ranges. This is a perfect place to spend and evening with a nice Italian meal together with some whine watching the people bustle around the beautiful fountains.

For all you honeymooners out there who decide to travel to Rome, a good travel tip is Piazza di Trevi at night. The beautiful fountain is lit up by lights and the stone benches in front of the fountain is a perfect place to end your night with another bottle of whine on the way beck to the hotel (depending on where you live of course).

Paris - France

The history of Paris is a very exciting on and many people choose to travel here every year. The city started out as a Celtic market place and has during the centuries been bombarded, besieged, invaded and haunted by robbers and plagues. Today, however, Paris is a large world metropolis with over nine million inhabitants.

The most beautiful city in the world can at times be difficult to understand. The twenty city districts (called arrondissement) are arranged in a swivel-like pattern from the islands on the Seine River outwards in numbered sequence. Once upon a time, Paris could also be divided between the southern and northern river beaches. The southern port was the place for red whine, bohemians and Latin quarters. On the northern there was Chanel dresses, champagne and the Arc de Triomphe.

Today’s Latin quarters are chique hangarounds for students and other younger crowds, but also an excellent area for romantic walks among book salesmen and ice cream vendors. If you travel here, a good tip is to keep your eyes peeled for classic and cosy Paris restaurants on narrow side streets. Sometimes the best ones are the hardest to find.

Paris most famous landmark, the Eiffel Tower, is located in the seventh district. It towers majestically from the Champ de Mars, a large public green-space. If the weather is right, a good idea is to walk here right along River Seine. It’s easy to find as well because of its height of 1,063 ft. The tower is named after its designer, Gustave Eiffel and was built in 1887. Be prepared to stand in line for a while with other tourists who have chosen to travel here, as the tower had nearly seven million visitors in 2006. If you are planning on visiting the Tower, a good tip is to come early, when the lines are only half the size they'll be later in the day.

If your legs are up for it, take a walk downtown along the river. After about thirty minutes you will spot the Louvre Museum on the other side. This has to be the most famous and visited museums and art galleries in the world, the oldest and largest as well. You could spend several days in here if you are a real art buff, but most people come to see Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa (which most people say is a lot smaller than they expected), and to see for themselves the scenes from The Da Vinci Code. Why not prepare and bring a bottle of whine and some sandwiches and have a nice bite on one of the benches in the wonderful square in front of the buildings?

Looking further down river you will spot and island in the middle, the Ile de la Cité. There are actually two islands, another behind the other. On Ile de la Cité stands the church of Notre Dame, famous from the Victor Hugo novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The cathedral is also regarded a historical world monument by the United Nations. The inside of the church shows magnificent architecture and breaths history and greatness. The tour up and down the stairs to see the gargoyles and the huge church bell is a must if your travel arrangements bring you here.

Amsterdam - Netherlands

If you decide to travel Europe for a while, be sure not to miss Amsterdam. Contrary to many believes, it is not only Red Light District and stoner coffee shops that make the city what it is – there are many cultural, romantic and historical aspects to the city as well.

The good thing about Amsterdam is the general ambiance of the place. The city part of town is very compact and laid back and all major streets are separated by canals which are ever present throughout the city. The canals also mean that the major part of town is spared from heavy traffic and you can easily (albeit thirty-five to forty-five minutes from north to south) walk everywhere. Somewhat complicated is the way the streets are arranged. They follow the canals in a kind of pentagonal way, which will most likely get first time visitors lost. It's a good tip to make sure you bring a good map with you when you travel here.

Transport to and from Schiphol airport is first-rate and convenient. The train station connected to the airport has a train leaving for Centraal Station every twenty, thirty minutes or so. Originating almost right outside of Centraal Station is the street Damrak, which can be considered the main avenue of Amsterdam. Here you will find a tourist information centre, bars and restaurants targeted mostly at other tourists who have chosen to travel here, and more business oriented hotels. Parades and demonstrations are usually held here as well which can be an interesting site sometimes. Damrak takes you straight towards the heart of the city, and it’s a big heart.

Damrak ends up in Dam Square which is busy day and night with both locals and tourists. Located here is the glorious Royal Palace (Koninklijk Palace). The king and queen are usually not at home anymore, however, as the palace is mainly used for official receptions and banquets nowadays. Another interesting port of call in the square is Madame Tussauds, the world famous wax museum.

If you make it eastward from here, you will eventually end up in the infamous Red Light District. Here, religion and conscience is left at the door and prostitutes, sex shops, peep shows and strip clubs are of abundance. This part of town has its own history; dating back to the sixteenth century when Amsterdam was a major port for world trade and sailors needed to distract themselves before they would travel further. Contrary to popular beliefs, the Red Light District is actually the safest part of Amsterdam; just keep your wallet in a safe place. It is usually very busy and overcrowded with tourists and as always opportunists are afoot.

If you continue south you will end up in Rembrandt Plein. This is a great centre for nightlife with bars, clubs and cafés. If you are young and travel alone, the grassy area in the middle is a good place to meet other young people on sunny days.

Make your way westward and you will find yet another busy nightlife square, Leidseplein. It has plenty cinemas, theatres, coffee-shops, restaurants and clubs. If you travel here during the summer, enjoy a drink or two in one of the many pubs’ outdoor seating. This place is usually busy until the early hours.